Sidney gilchrist thomas



' (No Model.)

s. G. THOMAS. BESSEMBR' CONVERTER.

Patented Mar.13 ,-1-883 WITNESSES IJV T M/10R. Z 6 (/g W.

a .Zttorney.

N. PETERS wwuuw n hun Wuhingwn. u.c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SIDNEY, GILCHRIST THOMAS, 013 TEDWORTH S UARE, COUNTY or MIDDLE- I l t SEX, ENGLAND.

BESSEMER CONVERTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 274,055, dated March. 13, i883.

Application filed April 17,1ss2. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known. that I, SIDNEY GILGHRIST THOMAS, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Tedworth Square, in the 5 county of Middlesex, England, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in and connected with Bessemer Converters, of which the following is a specification. i My invention relates to that class of appa ro ratus commonly known as Bessemer converters]; employed for the manufacture of iron and stee Y The Bessemer process is at present carried out almostexclusivelyin so-called tipping ves- 15 sels, which are rotated on trnnnions byrackand-pinion or screw-andeworm-wheel motions. These arrangements entail the use of costly gearing and machinery. The simpler and cheaper-form of fixed converter has been almost 20 entirely abandoned on account of the difficulty of stopping the blow and tapping the metal exactly at the right moment. The steel produced in the fixed converter is therefore extremely irregular in quality.

2 5 My invention consists of an arrangement of parts by which the simplicity and economy of the fixed vessel are combined with the advantages and facility of stopping the operation at exactly the right period of the tipping ves-' 0 sel, substantially as hereinafter specified and the tapping side, is mounted on rockers A y B and C D, Figs. 1 and 2. The point at which these rockers are attached to the vessel 5 may be above or below that shown in the drawin gs, according as it is desired to facilitate the motion; of the vessel more or less. The. vessel is provided with tuyeres on one side only .of the circumference, the side of the vessel on 50 which the tapping takes place being without tuyeres. The blast can be introduced through a jointed or flexible pipe, E, to the blast-box E. .I prefer that the lower section of the converter should be attached to the body of the converter by bolts and cot-ters, as shown; but I 'be at the same depth from the surface of the metal. The tilting of the vessel on its rockers may be effected either by hand, by means of a long lever, or by a small hydraulic ram, or a rack and pinion, or other simple analogous contrivance. A catch or wedge, F, is arranged so as to hold the vessel at any required angle.

In blowing a charge of metal, the pig-iron having been run into the vessel through the 3 opening G, (the blast beingprevionslyturned on,) theiron is blown either in a vertical position, or, if the tuyeres are arranged in the inclined position,as just mentioned, the vessel is kept tilted to the right. When the flame 2 indicates that the blow is finished. the vessel is rapidly rocked or tilted over to the position A B, so that the tuyeres are lifted clear of the metal and the blast turned off. The metal is then tapped from the tap-hole H. This tapt hole may be immediately above the level of the bottom, or somewhat higher, in which latter case the stopping of the tap-hole may be lighter and thereforg more easily opened. If, however, it be found, before tapping, that the 5 blower has been misled by the dame indication, the vessel may be rocked back again to the blowing position and blown again till finished. In working my basic dephosphorizing process it is very desirable to be able to do 5 this. It is also sometimes desirable to rock over the vessel into sucha position that while the majority 0ftl1etuye1es are blowing under the metal one or two are blowing across the surface of the metal, so as to rapidly consume the carbonic oxide liberated and keep the slag vin an oxidizing atmosphere. The rockers may have rails or other suitable supports.

It will be seen that by the aid of this invention, first, the blow can be stopped at the exact moment desired; second, a blow having been stopped to test a sample, it may be resumed and finished with perfect facility; third, the position of the tuyeres with relation to the surface of the bath may be varied as required; fourth, no expensivemachinery is required to effect the tipping of the vessel.

I do not claim to he the first to provide a blast arrangement in Bessemer vessels whereby the direction of the blast may be regulated by the position of the converter, nor do I claim to be the first to arrange the blast at one side Furthermore, I am aware that modeof operation from mine, and resembles it in the one single feature only of having rockers.

Having thus described the nature of my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isa A Bessemer converter having the tuyeres and tuyere-holes arranged at one side thereof, and a tap-hole at the opposite side, in combination with rockers, to which said converter is rigidly fixed, and suitable supports for the rockers, whereby the converter may be tipped or oscillated, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

SIDNEY GILGHRIST THOMAS.

Witnesses:

JOHN DEAN, J. WATT, Both of 17 Gracechurch Street, London. 

